Don’t hide them in the shadows.

Dark-colored plants are difficult to see in the shade. Planting them in a sunny spot is far more effective. Dark glossy petals and shiny black leaves take on a silvery sheen in the sun, adding another level of visual interest. Sunlight typically intensifies deep pigments, so most of these plants are at their darkest when grown in the sun.

Venture beyond the garden.

Plants with dark flowers and foliage are as exciting in the landscape as they are in containers and perennial gardens. Look for shrubs such as Sambucus ‘Black Lace’ (ornamental elderberry), Cotinus coggygria ‘Royal Purple’ (purple smokebush) and Berberis ‘Crimson Pygmy’ (red-leaf barberry).

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About Rochelle Greayer

Hi, I'm Rochelle and for 18 years I have worked as a landscape designer, author/writer, and design teacher.
I've designed residential and hospitality (for hotels, restaurants, and spas) gardens across the USA and in the UK, Europe and the Middle East. After many years of teaching garden design topics in person, I launched the PITH + VIGOR Boot Camp series in early 2018.
Through my blog, social media, and online courses (Garden Design Bootcamp and Planting Design Boot Camp) I aim to help homeowners learn how to confidently design and create home gardens that reflect their own personal and unique style.

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3 Comments

We value communication and one of our major products is not simply a beautiful paving stone, planting or water feature installation, but a highly informed client that feels well taken care of We also want to help people understand their world better at least by knowing the hows and whys for their residential or commercial project.

I have several black lace elderberries and I love the foliage. People are constantly asking what it is, I think it’s great to see different foliage plants in gardens for a change. Thanks for introducing me to the Royal Purple Smokebush- a plant Im not familiar with. Im going to look into them and if it’s an option for my garden it will be the next installation toy garden.